ell as the original words, we ought therefore to expect to find totally
different in the languages of the north and south, of the east and west;
and from whatever portion of the continent we imagine the first
inhabitants to have proceeded the same reasoning holds good.

RADICAL IDENTITY OF THE PRONOUNS.

But personal terms, such as the parts of the body, the pronouns, etc.,
and also verbs describing ordinary actions, ought not to be expected to
vary in the same degree; and we shall accordingly find that it is chiefly
in words of these and similar classes that the greatest degree of
resemblance is found to exist. With regard to the pronouns this is very
remarkable. In the singular, plural, and dual numbers they almost
coincide in Western Australia, South Australia, and Sydney. The following
table of the pronouns as used in those places will show this:

(TABLE OF PRONOUNS.)

DIFFERENCES OF DIALECT EXPLAINED. EXAMPLES.

To those who have not considered this circumstance languages have
frequently appeared to be quite different which in reality are closely
assimilated. Two instances will explain my meaning. The natives in the
vicinity of Perth generally use the word gab-by, or kuyp-e, for water,
but those inhabiting a district only twelve or fourteen miles distant
from Perth adopt the word kow-win; the word used by the natives in the
vicinity of Adelaide in South Australia for water is kauw-ee. Now, on
comparing these words it might have been hastily concluded that the
languages of West and South Australia were without affinity; but in fact
the variation does not constitute any essential difference, for,
considering the interchangeable nature of the consonants b, p, and w, and
of g and k, which affect different dialects, we shall find the words
gab-by, kuyp-e, kow-win and kauw-ee to be only different forms from one
root. One instance of another kind may be given. The word for the sun at
Perth is nganga, whilst at Adelaide it is tin-dee; but the word used by
the natives at Encounter Bay, South Australia, thirty-six miles from
Adelaide, is ngon-ge, and the word used in the southern districts of
Western Australia for the stars is tiendee: thus by extending the
vocabularies of the two places the identity of the language is shown.

CAUSES OF ERROR IN FORMER ENQUIRERS.

Up to the present time we have had only very meagre vocabularies,
collected by passing strangers, each of whom adopted his own system of
orthography, and th